Flying between the cold moon and the earth,
Cupid all arm'd: a certain aim he took
At a fair vestal, throned by the west;

And loos'd his love-shaft smartly from his bow,
As it should pierce a hundred thousand hearts:
But I might see young Cupid's fiery shaft
Quench'd in the chaste beams of the watery moon;
And the imperial votaress passed on,

In maiden meditation, fancy-free.

Yet mark'd I where the bolt of Cupid fell:

It fell upon a little western flower,

Before, milk-white, now purple with love's wound,-
And maidens call it love-in-idleness.

Fetch me that flower: the herb I shew'd thee once;
The juice of it on sleeping eyelids laid,

Will make or man or woman madly dote
Upon the next live creature that it sees.

Fetch me this herb, and be thou here again,
Ere the leviathan can swim a league.

Puck. I'll put a girdle round about the earth

In forty minutes.

Obc.

[Exit PUCK, through the air.

Having once this juice,

I'll watch Titania when she is asleep,

And drop the liquor of it in her eyes;

The next thing then she waking looks upon,
(Be it on lion, bear, or wolf, or bull,
On meddling monkey, or on busy ape,)
She shall pursue it with the soul of love:

And ere I take this charm from off her sight,
(As I can take it with another herb,)
I'll make her render up her page to me.
But who comes here? I am invisible ;
And I will overhear their conference.

[Retires up and reclines upon a bank of flowers.

Enter DEMETRIUS, HELENA following him.
Dem. I love thee not, therefore pursue me not.
Where is Lysander and fair Hermia ?

The one I'll slay, the other slayeth me.

Thou told'st me, they were stol'n unto this wood.
Hence, get thee gone, and follow me no more.

Hel. You draw me, you hard-hearted adamant:
But yet you draw not iron, for all my heart
Is true as steel. Leave you your power to draw,
And I shall have no power to follow you.

Dem. Do I entice you? Do I speak you fair?
Or, rather, do I not in plainest truth

Tell you-I do not, nor I cannot, love you?

Hel. And even for that do I love you the more. I am your spaniel; and, Demetrius,

The more you beat me, I will fawn on you:

Use me but as your spaniel, spurn me, strike me,
Neglect me, lose me.; only give me leave,
Unworthy as I am, to follow you,

And to be used as you do use your dog.

Dem. I'll run from thee, and hide me in the brakes,

And leave thee to the mercy of wild beasts.

Hel. The wildest hath not such a heart as you.

Run when you will; the story shall be chang'd;
Apollo flies, and Daphne holds the chase;
The dove pursues the griffin; the mild hind
Makes speed to catch the tiger: bootless speed!

When cowardice pursues, and valor flies.

[She clings to him.

Dem. I will not stay thy questions; [Shakes her off.] let

mc go:

Or, if thou follow me, do not believe

But I shall do thee mischief in the wood.

Hel. Ay, in the temple, in the town, and field,

You do me mischief. Fic, Demetrius !

Your wrongs do set a scandal on my sex :

We cannot fight for love, as men may do ;

We should be woo'd, and were not made to woo.

[She attempts to clasp his arm-he avoids her. Exit DEHELENA sinks for a moment in grief, then

METRIUS.

starts up.

I'll follow thee, and make a heaven of hell.

To die upon the hand I love so well.

[Exit HELENA.

Obe. Fare thee well, nymph: ere he do leave this grove, Thou shalt fly him, and he shall seek thy love.

Re-enter PUCK.

Hast thou the flower there? Welcome, wanderer.
Puck. Ay, there it is.

Obe.

I pray thee, give it me.;

I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,
Where ox-lips and the nodding violet grows;
Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,
With sweet musk-roses, and with eglantine:
There sleeps Titania, sometime of the night,
Lull'd in these flowers with dances and delight;
And with the juice of this I'll streak her eyes,
And make her full of hateful fantasies,

Take thou some of it, and seek through this grove,
A sweet Athenian lady: she's in love
With a disdainful youth: anoint his eyes;
But do it when the next thing he espies
May be the lady. Thou shalt know the man
By the Athenian garments he hath on.
Effect it with some care; that he may prove
More fond on her, than she upon her love :
And look thou meet me ere the first cock crow.

Puck. Fear not, my lord, your servant shall do so.
[Exeunt, different ways.

Enter, from side of PUCK's exit, LYSANDER and HERMIA,
PUCK creeps back after them and hides.

Lys. Fair love, you faint with wandering in the woods,

And, to speak troth, I have forgot our way;

We'll rest us, Hermia, if you think it good,

And tarry for the comfort of the day.

Her. Be it so, Lysander, find you out a bed,

For I upon this bank will rest my head.

.!

Lys. One turf shall serve as pillow for us both; One heart, one bed, two bosoms and one troth.

Her. Nay, good Lysander; for my sake, my dear,
Lie further off yet, do not lie so near.

So far be distant, and good night, sweet friend;
Thy love ne'er alter, till thy sweet life end!

Lys. Amen, Amen, to that fair prayer say I,
And then end life, when I end loyalty!

Here is my bed: Sleep give thee all his rest!

Her. With half that wish the wisher's eyes be press'd.

[They sleep. PUCK advances from his hiding place. Puck. Night and silence! who is here?

Weeds of Athens he doth wear:

This is he my master said
Despised the Athenian maid;

And here the maiden, sleeping sound,
On the dank and dirty ground.

Pretty soul, she durst not lic

Near this lack-love, this kill-court'sy.

Churl, upon thy eyes I throw
All the power this charm doth owe:
When thou wak'st, let love forbid
Sleep his seat on thy eyelid.
So awake, when I am gone;
For I must now to Oberon.

[Exit PUCK.

Enter DEMETRIUS and HELENA, running.

Hel. Stay, though thou kill me, sweet Demetrius.
Dem. I charge thee, hence, and do not haunt me thus,
Hel. O, wilt thou darkling leave me? do not so.

Dem. Stay, on thy peril; I alone will go.

[Exit DEMETRIUS.

Hel. O, I am out of breath in this fond chase!
The more my prayer, the lesser is my grace.
Happy is Hermia, wheresoe'er she lies,
For she hath blesséd and attractive eyes:

But who is here ?-Lysander! on the ground!
Dead? or asleep? I see no blood, no wound!—
Lysander, if you live, good sir, awake.

Lys. [Waking.] And run through fire I will, for thy sweet sake,

Transparent Helena! Nature shows her art,

That through thy bosom makes me see thy heart.
Where is Demetrius? O, how fit a word

Is that vile name to perish on my sword!

Hel. Do not say so, Lysander; say not so:

What though he love your Hermia? Yet, what though?
Hermia still loves you: then be thou content.

Lys. Content with Hermia? No: I do repent

The tedious minutes I with her have spent.

Not Hermia, but Helena, I love:

Reason becomes the marshal to my will,

And leads me to your eyes; where I o'erlook
Love's stories, written in love's richest book.

Hel. Wherefore was I to this keen mockery born?.

When, at your hands, did I deserve this scorn?
Good troth, you do me wrong, good sooth, you do,
In such disdainful manner me to woo.

But fare you well: perforce I must confess,

I thought you lord of more true gentleness.
O, that a lady, of one man refus'd,

Should of another therefore be abus'd!

[Exit.

Lys. She sees not Hermia ;-Hermia, sleep thou there;

And never mayst thou come Lysander near!

And, all my powers, address your love and might,

To honour Helen, and to be her knight.

[Exit.

Her. [Starting.] Help me, Lysander, help me! do thy best,

To pluck this crawling serpent from my breast!

[She rises and looks around.

Ah me, for pity !-what a dream was here!
Lysander, look how I do quake with fear!
Methought a serpent ate my heart away,
And you sat smiling at his cruel prey :